chroniclesofarnfandomcom-20200214-history
Timberhold
A Woodhold is a fortified settlement typically the size of a Hamlet that is often established for the harvesting of timber. It is different from that of a Farmhold or Minehold in that there is no leader in residence within the wall, rather it is simply a small collection of farmer's homes surrounded by a wooden palasade and a dry moat. One of the most obvious visual differences in the design of a Farmhold versus a Knighthold is the lack of a central Keep. Secondly, a woodhold often exists as an extension or holding of a Knighthold (Lordshold , Magehold ), relying upon the local knight and his guards for protection. In return, the farmhold pays a tithe of food, materials or labor. Woodholds are typically the first settlement external to the central Hold within a Shire. Woodholds harvest the timber, clear the forest and often make the roads necessary for the creation of Farmholds and, if the Master of the shire is lucky, locate valuable resources to locate a Minehold. Design Woodholds are typically created first as a small camp deep within a wooded region. The idea is that they will set up the camp at a good spot and then slowly clear the forest away in a large circle around them. The timbers cleared from that area are then used to create a protective palasade to enclose their camp. Since the camps need to protect themselves from any random attack as quickly as possible, the wall (and earthen ditch on the outside of it) are often constructed while the area is being cleared. To faciliate this, almost all Woodholds are created about the same size: roughly three Cables across or 300 feet. The woodhold has to accomodate the many tents used by the workers (at first) and horse teams. The main buildings within the Woodhold are: # Barn (The horses that are used to haul the timber out of the forest are vital so their heath is often more important than the workers). The barn is typically built as a simple, one-story structue with an overhang at the end for the hold's forge to fashion tools and for the shoeing of the horses. # Common Hall (Used to store and cook food for the workers, the hall is a large open space with at least three hearths to push back the cold). The common hall is also a simple, one-story structure with a kitchen and storeroom at one end with its hearth for cooking and a long, enclosed hall at the other. # Craft Hall (used to store and repair tools, plan construction projects, house the leaders of the Woodhold, etc.) It's these three buildings that typically form the central hub (or Logging Camp which is the base of the emerging hold as the perimeter wall is being created. Arranged in a hexagonal pattern with connecting walls, the three buildings will house and protect the initial crew of around thirty workers who help found the hold. With goblin (or worse) attacks ever-present in the minds of the workers, the hexagonal camp is often protected with a perimeter moat and at least one watch tower, often built over the entrance gate. Labor There's almost always a need for workers in and around a Woodhold. Whether a person is working on a timber gang, going out into the woods to fell the trees and trim the branches, or on a horse team hauling the fallen timbers back to the camp, the hold needs plenty of workers. Laborers are paid weekly by the respective gang bosses or by the Master of the Hold. Jobs can include: * Timberjack * Teamster * Smith * Cook (often a wife of one of the Bosses) * Scullery (often the daughters of the Cook) * Healer (Apothecary) * Master of the Hold (coordinates pay for workers, hires bosses for the work crews, etc.) * Cartman (hauls timber (or lumber) back to the Hold (Knight, Lord or Mage). * Pittboss (in charge of the saw pit) * Sawboy Evolution As the Woodhold continues to grow and the area around it is cleared of timber, the resulting open area is often turned into a number of fields often used in farming or grazing of lifestock once the stumps are removed. The resultant hold often then evolves into a Farmhold and the activity of felling trees and harvesting timber will then move deeper into the forest. Once a Woodhold has become a Farmhold, the newly constructed woodholds are typically little more than Logging Camps scattered around the surrounding forest to provide timber for the Hold or firewood for the Shire. The two phases (woodhold to Farmhold) are considered a natural evolution. Often the stakeholders who help found a Woodhold will often remain to hold onto the land cleared and become the tennants of the future Farmhold. Indeed, the evolution begins at the simplest of level; that of a Logging Camp, expanding into that of a Woodhold for a time and then eventually settling into a Farmhold. Known Woodholds (Use Settlement/Woodhold) Settlement/Woodhold Category:Settlement/Territory